In general the ski boot is held on the ski between two binding parts, of which one is supported movably against the force of a spring in the longitudinal direction of the ski. Thus the ski boot is clamped between the binding parts under a resilient action. How strong this resilient thrust is applied against the ski boot must be determined prior to use and the binding must be adjusted accordingly.
In the known constructions the spring is supported on one end on the movably supported binding part and on the other end on an adjustable and fixable abutment. Therefore, in the non-use condition, the binding is held in an end position by the spring. Upon the user's stepping into the binding, the movable binding part is pressed back against the force of the spring. Thus, if a force indicating mechanism is provided, the thrust force exerted onto the ski boot can be determined only in stepped-in condition. However, adjustment of such binding in stepped-in condition is, as a practical matter, hardly ever possible. Not only can the user not at all reach the adjusting mechanism or do so only with great difficulty, but the adjustment of a tensioned spring requires a substantial force input. Therefore, the user must first step out of the binding in order to be able to operate the adjusting mechanism and even then it is very difficult to attain immediately the correct position of the individual parts. In most cases this operation must be repeated several times.